Adolin didn't move.
Of all the times for the priests to show up, it had to be now.
After a full day with people, his patience was already running low.
The priests crossed the street, their eyes fixed on him.
Adolin clicked his tongue.
Keep calm.
He did have a few options. It all depended on how much they pushed him.
He was level ten, or eleven. He had no clue. It had been some time since he last checked his level. But the point was, he was very low level and shouldn't be able to cast healing magic. It was the best alibi. It should work. Hopefully.
The other option was to escape. But that would ruin his and Lissandra's plans, which he didn't want to do.
The final option was to get rid of them. This was not a good option for multiple reasons, and it could lead to even bigger problems than he was already dealing with. So he decided to cut it off now.
He just hoped they would be civil about it, so he wouldn't do what he did in the Count's estate. That wouldn't be too good for them or for him.
That part of him was usually quiet, but when he was tired and surrounded by hostile people, it tended to come out. It always solved problems the fastest.
The priests were a few steps away from him.
Just be reasonable.
Adolin smiled and made eye contact with the priest in the middle.
They wore dark priest robes, silver necklaces resting against their chests, each bearing the symbol of the goddess. A bright sun, with three moons circling it.
"Dareth Wood," the priest said. "You are a hard man to find."
Adolin tilted his head. "How so?"
The priest studied him for a moment, as if weighing something.
"We've received reports placing you in the slums at the time of an illegal activity."
The other two priests just stared at him, unblinking.
It made Adolin really uncomfortable.
"Illegal activity?" Adolin said.
"Yes. Illegal healing. A man healed some of the shadeheads."
Adolin chuckled. "What does that have to do with me?"
"You?" the priest let out a short chuckle. "We want nothing to do with gutter trash. But we need to hear your side of what happened in the slums," the priest said, taking out a fist sized device.
They weren't being very nice.
He really needed some kind of spell that would remove the bitterness from his tongue when he was in close proximity to priests or anything divine. He would have to look for that. Or make one on his own.
"What's that?"
"Truthseeker," the priest said with an amused smile.
"Weird name. So it seeks truth?"
The priest didn't reply, and the stone on the device shone with a bluish light.
There were quite a few ways Adolin could cheat a truthseeker. The problem was that he needed to know how it worked in order to cheat it.
He wasn't sure if they could detect if he tried to analyze it. If they could, that would be more problematic, so he decided to keep Analyze on himself, to see what happened when he lied and when he told the truth.
A few moments after the device was turned on, Adolin noticed foreign mana trying to read and probe his mana. So he allowed it.
There were a few things he could do, but the simplest was to get both positive and false readings from the device. After that, it would be easy to adjust his mana.
"Now answer the questions with a yes or no," the priest said.
Adolin just nodded.
"Is your name Dareth Wood?"
Adolin really wanted to curse. That was a simple question, one that would help the device adjust to positive answers. But the problem was that he was Adolin, not Dareth. Maybe they were the same. He wasn't sure what the device would read.
Adolin clicked his tongue. "Really?"
The priest on the left pulled out a thick wooden branch and struck Adolin in the stomach.
Adolin's breath left him in a sharp gasp as the branch slammed into his stomach. His body folded slightly before he forced himself upright again.
For a moment, he almost lost it.
His grip tightened.
Then he let it go.
That hurts.
He clicked his tongue, exhaling slowly as the pain settled into a dull ache. His gaze shifted to the priest who struck him. "Was that really necessary?"
The priest didn't answer. The one in the middle chuckled. "Are you done?"
"Yes," Adolin said, focusing inwardly.
His mana remained steady. It simply allowed the foreign mana to read it without interruption.
Adolin got a handle on how the device worked. If he told the truth, his mana remained steady. No reaction. If he lied, it changed. He needed to know how, in case the priest probed deeper.
"That didn't hurt?"
"No. Not at all," Adolin said, his hand pressed against his stomach.
His mana reacted again. Instead of remaining calm, like steady water, it rippled.
That worked just as planned. Now he could answer however he wanted and still give them the answer they were looking for.
"So," the priest said, a faint smile tugging at his lips, "did you heal anyone in the slums?"
Adolin took control of his mana, but didn't change anything about it.
"No."
He felt the foreign mana trying to stir his own, but he didn't let it. His mana stayed calm.
"Did you see anyone using healing magic in the slums?"
"No."
"Did you see anyone acting shady in the slums?"
Adolin chuckled. "Yes?" he said, tilting his head.
He didn't even need to control his mana for that answer. There were too many shady people in the slums. You just had to ignore them. According to Dareth's memories.
"Who?"
Adolin contemplated his answer. Everyone in the slums. Most of them. Those who weren't addicts acted shady. The whole place was a hellhole.
"Everyone who isn't an addict," Adolin said with a shrug.
The priest watched him for a moment, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.
"Strange," he said. "The report about you says you looked like an addict. Care to explain?"
They really did know everything.
"Lucky. I guess?"
"That must be some luck," the priest said. "Were you healed?"
Adolin didn't know what to answer. They knew a lot, but he was certain they didn't know it was him. They were trying to get information about the healer, not confirm that he was the healer.
But did they know he had been stabbed?
They already knew he had been living there.
"I don't know."
Remain ignorant. That was his answer to whatever trap they were leading him into.
"And why would you think that?" the priest asked, his tone calm, but sharper now.
"I was stabbed. That's the last thing I remember before I woke up with blood all over my clothes. But I was still alive, and there were no wounds on my body."
The priest didn't reply immediately. His gaze lingered on Adolin, studying him more carefully now.
"And what do you think happened?"
"I was healed."
"I see," the priest said. "How fortunate."
The priest stepped closer, moving slowly. "Be careful, Dareth Wood," he said. "Luck has a way of running out." He tapped Adolin's shoulder as he passed him.
The priest on the left struck him again with the wooden branch, knocking the air out of him again.
"Just a friendly reminder," the priest said with a smile, then turned and left.
Adolin remained where he was, glancing over his shoulder.
The priests entered the adventurers' guild.
Maybe provoking them was the wrong move.
He chuckled.
But it did help with the bitter taste.
He turned and started walking toward the inn.
He had to give it to them. They were good.
They didn't expect him to be the healer. They only knew he had been healed, and they were trying to find the one responsible.
But he knew how to fool the Truthseeker. If he didn't, he would be in trouble.
He was glad he kept it under control. The first hit almost pushed him over the edge, but he focused on what Aylinth would do, and it worked out. The second hit, he expected it. He was ready for it.
He stood in front of the inn. The tables outside were all full.
He quickly stepped inside and nodded to the bartender.
"Something to eat. And a mug of beer," Adolin said.
The bartender gave him a quick look, then reached for a mug. He turned, filled it from the barrel behind him, and set it down in front of Adolin with a dull thud.
Foam spilled slightly over the rim.
"Food'll take a bit," the bartender said.
Adolin picked up the mug and took a long sip.
It was bitter. Good.
He nodded. "Can you bring it to my room?"
The bartender just nodded.
Adolin headed up the stairs and unlocked his door.
As he pushed it open, he paused.
Two figures were sitting on his bed.